Narrative:

Flight cleared takeoff runway 35. Controls were checked at this time for free & full movement of travel. First officer was given flight controls at this time. At 60 KTS steering was transferred from tiller bar to rudder control by a required callout. At V1 the aircraft suddenly veered violently to the right, heading for the grass and the hangar area on the east side of phl. I thought we had violently lost an engine and proceeded to kick left rudder to compensate for the violent yaw that was produced. When left rudder was kicked in I felt the rudder pedals lock in the neutral position. I realized we had a control problem, but we also realized that we did not have any choice but to fly this aircraft away from obstructions that were just ahead. (To abort at this time at or above V1 would have put us either in the hangar or in the parking lot.) the first officer then proceeded to rotate the aircraft off the ground in a left wing low attitude. Phl tower yelling at us to fly heading 340 degrees. I told phl tower to stand by and that we had a problem. We were in a crossed flight control mode at this point and I did not want to get close to the stall area. To transfer the flying from the first officer to captain I felt would have been detrimental to the flight. First officer was doing a good job of flying the aircraft and he could also see the obstructions a lot better from his point of view. After 200' and all obstructions cleared my next concern was that the gust lock control had failed and that the ailerons and elevators were next. I kept my hand resting on the control yoke waiting to feel the familiar click of the control locks. I wanted to be ready to go to the trim system for backup control if we needed it. Fortunately controls did not lock. We started a gradual right turn into a downwind leg for landing. We declared an emergency at this time and had the emergency equipment standing by just in case. We extended our downwind to get a feel for the aircraft before setting up for the landing. We landed the aircraft on runway 35 west/O incident and were met by emergency equipment. We landed about 150-200# over the landing weight of the aircraft. A note was made to that effect in the log book. During the time that I was on the phone in operations our maintenance was out tearing the aircraft apart trying to find out what went wrong. The FAA came and questioned me about the incident. They were there as reps for the NTSB in new york. They informed me that because it was a flight control problem the NTSB was involved and that next time do not let anybody touch the aircraft before they had a chance to look at it. Upon inspection of the aircraft they found a bolt that worked loose in the tail (rudder assembly). This bolt had either worked itself loose or was installed incorrectly (unfortunately this could not be seen on a preflight). The NTSB, FAA and our company are still investigating this incident.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: LOSS OF ACFT CONTROL WHEN A RUDDER BOLT CAME LOOSE ON TKOF RUN. FLT CREW REGAINED CONTROL AND CONTINUED A RIGHT PATTERN FOR AN EMERGENCY LNDG.

Narrative: FLT CLRED TKOF RWY 35. CONTROLS WERE CHKED AT THIS TIME FOR FREE & FULL MOVEMENT OF TRAVEL. F/O WAS GIVEN FLT CONTROLS AT THIS TIME. AT 60 KTS STEERING WAS TRANSFERRED FROM TILLER BAR TO RUDDER CONTROL BY A REQUIRED CALLOUT. AT V1 THE ACFT SUDDENLY VEERED VIOLENTLY TO THE RIGHT, HDG FOR THE GRASS AND THE HANGAR AREA ON THE E SIDE OF PHL. I THOUGHT WE HAD VIOLENTLY LOST AN ENG AND PROCEEDED TO KICK LEFT RUDDER TO COMPENSATE FOR THE VIOLENT YAW THAT WAS PRODUCED. WHEN LEFT RUDDER WAS KICKED IN I FELT THE RUDDER PEDALS LOCK IN THE NEUTRAL POS. I REALIZED WE HAD A CONTROL PROB, BUT WE ALSO REALIZED THAT WE DID NOT HAVE ANY CHOICE BUT TO FLY THIS ACFT AWAY FROM OBSTRUCTIONS THAT WERE JUST AHEAD. (TO ABORT AT THIS TIME AT OR ABOVE V1 WOULD HAVE PUT US EITHER IN THE HANGAR OR IN THE PARKING LOT.) THE F/O THEN PROCEEDED TO ROTATE THE ACFT OFF THE GND IN A LEFT WING LOW ATTITUDE. PHL TWR YELLING AT US TO FLY HDG 340 DEGS. I TOLD PHL TWR TO STAND BY AND THAT WE HAD A PROB. WE WERE IN A CROSSED FLT CONTROL MODE AT THIS POINT AND I DID NOT WANT TO GET CLOSE TO THE STALL AREA. TO TRANSFER THE FLYING FROM THE F/O TO CAPT I FELT WOULD HAVE BEEN DETRIMENTAL TO THE FLT. F/O WAS DOING A GOOD JOB OF FLYING THE ACFT AND HE COULD ALSO SEE THE OBSTRUCTIONS A LOT BETTER FROM HIS POINT OF VIEW. AFTER 200' AND ALL OBSTRUCTIONS CLRED MY NEXT CONCERN WAS THAT THE GUST LOCK CONTROL HAD FAILED AND THAT THE AILERONS AND ELEVATORS WERE NEXT. I KEPT MY HAND RESTING ON THE CONTROL YOKE WAITING TO FEEL THE FAMILIAR CLICK OF THE CONTROL LOCKS. I WANTED TO BE READY TO GO TO THE TRIM SYS FOR BACKUP CONTROL IF WE NEEDED IT. FORTUNATELY CONTROLS DID NOT LOCK. WE STARTED A GRADUAL RIGHT TURN INTO A DOWNWIND LEG FOR LNDG. WE DECLARED AN EMER AT THIS TIME AND HAD THE EMER EQUIP STANDING BY JUST IN CASE. WE EXTENDED OUR DOWNWIND TO GET A FEEL FOR THE ACFT BEFORE SETTING UP FOR THE LNDG. WE LANDED THE ACFT ON RWY 35 W/O INCIDENT AND WERE MET BY EMER EQUIP. WE LANDED ABOUT 150-200# OVER THE LNDG WT OF THE ACFT. A NOTE WAS MADE TO THAT EFFECT IN THE LOG BOOK. DURING THE TIME THAT I WAS ON THE PHONE IN OPS OUR MAINT WAS OUT TEARING THE ACFT APART TRYING TO FIND OUT WHAT WENT WRONG. THE FAA CAME AND QUESTIONED ME ABOUT THE INCIDENT. THEY WERE THERE AS REPS FOR THE NTSB IN NEW YORK. THEY INFORMED ME THAT BECAUSE IT WAS A FLT CONTROL PROB THE NTSB WAS INVOLVED AND THAT NEXT TIME DO NOT LET ANYBODY TOUCH THE ACFT BEFORE THEY HAD A CHANCE TO LOOK AT IT. UPON INSPECTION OF THE ACFT THEY FOUND A BOLT THAT WORKED LOOSE IN THE TAIL (RUDDER ASSEMBLY). THIS BOLT HAD EITHER WORKED ITSELF LOOSE OR WAS INSTALLED INCORRECTLY (UNFORTUNATELY THIS COULD NOT BE SEEN ON A PREFLT). THE NTSB, FAA AND OUR COMPANY ARE STILL INVESTIGATING THIS INCIDENT.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of August 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.